Sleeping Beauty stars come together to launch Birmingham Hippodrome’s pantomime
The magic of pantomime arrived in Birmingham last week, as the star-studded cast of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ gathered at the magnificent Middleton Hall for the official launch of the UK’s biggest regional pantomime, ahead of its arrival at Birmingham Hippodrome this Christmas.
BAFTA award-winning television presenter Rylan, who makes his Birmingham pantomime debut as the Diva of Dreams, was joined by Birmingham panto favourite Matt Slack as Lester the Jester, musical theatre star Zoe Birkett as the wicked Carabosse and acclaimed pantomime dame Andrew Ryan, who celebrates his tenth season at Birmingham Hippodrome as Queen Patsy of Pantoland. Completing the star-studded line-up are rising musical theatre stars Ben Culleton as Prince Peter of Perry Barr and Keziah Ibe as Princess Aurora. The pair joined their fellow cast members at Middleton Hall, giving audiences a first glimpse of the characters and costumes set to bring this year's spectacular production to life.
Ben Culleton joins the cast fresh from playing Freddy Eynsford-Hill in ‘My Fair Lady’ at Chichester Festival Theatre. His impressive West End credits include ‘Les Misérables’ at the Sondheim Theatre and Grease at the Dominion Theatre, alongside appearances in ‘Mary Poppins’ on its UK and Ireland tour and ‘La Cage aux Folles’ at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Keziah Ibe, who trained at Arts Educational Schools London, made her professional debut in the leading role of Eliza Doolittle in ‘My Fair Lady’ at Chichester Festival Theatre, with her credits also including playing Cinderella in ‘Into the Woods’ at Southwark Playhouse with the National Youth Music Theatre. The full cast came together for the first time at the launch, marking the start of the countdown to Birmingham’s biggest festive theatrical tradition.
Produced by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ promises a spectacular festive adventure, featuring lavish sets and costumes direct from The London Palladium. Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom, Princess Aurora receives a birthday present from her wicked Aunt Carabosse. A single prick of an enchanted spinning wheel places her under a cruel curse and sends her into a century of slumber! Will true love endure? Will the Prince break the spell?
Come and find out in a pantomime packed with magic, music, comedy and dazzling special effects! With the cast assembled and the countdown to Christmas officially under way, audiences won't want to snooze on booking the best seats for Birmingham’s biggest festive spectacular. ‘Sleeping Beauty’ will play at Birmingham Hippodrome from Saturday 19 December 2026 until Sunday 31 January 2027.
Birmingham Hippodrome is one of the UK’s busiest and most vibrant arts venues. Proudly based in the heart of Birmingham, they are an independent charity, run by a board of voluntary trustees with no regular funding from public sources. They are on a mission to provide that “goosebumps” feeling through memorable and extraordinary experiences with a vision for a “distinctive, world-class Birmingham cultural scene with the Hippodrome at its heart”.
Their rich history spans over 125 years, with the Hippodrome now welcoming over 600,000 paid visitors a year to their main house and Patrick Studio, to world class musicals, large scale ballet and opera, drama and family productions. They are proud to be the home of Birmingham Royal Ballet, FABRIC, Mercury Musical Developments and One Dance UK.
In 2023, Birmingham Hippodrome established their ‘New Musical Theatre’ department, the first of its kind in the UK, dedicated to developing the artform from a base outside of London.
Our New Work & Artist Development department focuses on creating a home for over 1,300 West Midlands artists, providing a new platform for networking and developing work within the region.
We work with a range of partners on our hugely successful Festivals programme of off-site work, including the city’s Chinese New Year celebrations, and Birmingham Weekender with Bullring; drawing in over 250,000 visitors a year.
Our Hippodrome Education Network delivers creative activities to 35,000 young people a year in 29 partner schools. Additionally, we engage with young people from across the region through other programmes of work, including curtain raiser performances, our Hippodrome youth theatres and Young Advocates scheme.
We frequently invest in projects alongside Arts Council England and with Birmingham City Council. Generous support is received from the business community through sponsorship and other partnerships; from individuals through donations and memberships; and from grant-making trusts for special programming and infrastructure projects.
